Our reading this week was about the epic Flood and Noah. The Flood is the Missing Link in understanding our current earth condition. The scientists have argued for decades about how old the earth is from their scientific dating tests. The problem with dating and understanding the “Origins and Beginnings” of our planet usually doesn’t include the Flood account in research and scientific hypothesis. While the Bible is not a science book it does hold the key to understanding our world. The problem with what scientists “think happened” and what actually happened is a result of science starting from the wrong point of reference. The academic world always starts with what the “have”; by this I mean that they are trying to discover the formation and history of Earth from a faulty model – using what is in front of them. Well if the science world is using what they presently have available to them to test, observe and analyze, they will always come up with the wrong conclusions. Including the Flood event is imperative to understanding why things are the way they are today. In Genesis, we quickly find that mankind fouls things up. In the time of Noah, only the 8th generation from Adam, the world has entrenched itself in evil – fleshly satisfying activity. Only Noah has found favor with God. Build the Ark with is 450x75x45 feet for those who are not versed in cubits. It takes a hundred years to build; Noah’s sons only know the building of the Ark. I can’t imagine what life must have been like during that process. The reason for the Ark, God is going to cause it to rain for 40 days and 40 nights – up till now it hasn’t rained. [Genesis 2:6] This is an important clue to climatic conditions of earth [think of a terrarium, where the environment generates its own watering system of dew/vapors or a hot-house effect]. We see such a condition in a limited scale in the Amazon Rain Forest – which causes fauna and vegetation to grow huge.

Finally the day arrives when the door of the Ark is closed, inside is all the animals [2×2 and 7×7], plus 8 people – Noah and his wife, Shem, Ham and Japheth and their wives. The rains come – but how they come is the key available to understanding the surface of the earth and the deep oceans of today. In Genesis 7:11 we learn of two sources of water, the “great deep burst open, and the skies were opened.” This is significant because the water fell from the sky, but also burst forth from the ocean floor! In other words that which was down jutted up and that which was up sank down. This probably happened through the shifting of tectonic plates and the formation of our land masses now. I believe as do many other “young earth” proponents that for the first time, there became an atmosphere as we know it today. Yes I believe in the “canopy theory.” The atmospheric conditions after the flood are radically different from before. In the “Canopy” there is minimal effect of the moon and sun – mankind lived longer because he was not subjected to the current “radiation” and climatic conditions as we are today. This has all been verified by the fortunate observance of the Mt. St. Helen volcanic eruption. Geologist have been able to document their observation of the aftermath and find remarkably similar results – again visit http://www.icr.org for more information. The Ark and people were sealed up for one year and 10 days from the time the rains started. I cannot explain how the animals were taken care of during that time – but God enabled it to be so. Sometimes we can get caught up into the Flood epic and forget what God was doing. Mankind had become so evil and sinful – God determined to destroy not just mankind but all creation as it was during that time. A New Beginning, with a very select – faith few in Noah’s family. I hope as you read this you will understand it was not the Plan of God/Creation that failed – it was the sinfulness of man. Romans 3:23 – all have sinned and fall short of the glory of god. Sin must always be dealt with. There is the symbolism of the Ark saving people from the water, as a picture of man being saved from the waters during the Exodus and our own Baptism. Something we need to remember – even though we are so sinful; God doesn’t give up on mankind – He redeems him! Of course we have the rainbow as God’s covenant promise that the world/creation will not ever be destroyed by water [net time it will be by fire]. So in a disastrous situation, God’s Promises and Mercy are evident.